Under the Big Top
by zukomylove1
Summary: Bolin leaves the apartment to find a job to help Mako with the payments. He ends up under the big top. The circus only comes to town for about a month, but the job offers big pay, so Bolin excepts. He only helps with small things like cleaning up after the Tiger-Dillos, Elephant-Rats, and Tiger-Seals but soon finds himself coming back for more. OC!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: I Don't Think That's A Good Idea**

* * *

"The problem with strong is that no one ever knows when they need help..." -Unknown

* * *

Bolin opened his eyes slowly, while looking out the tall window that was next to his bed. He sat up and shifted while he threw his arms up to stretch them. He leaned back on them and sighed deeply. He reached up to run his hand through his messy bed hair. "Ugh, today's a busy day." he told himself and looked around the room he and his brother shared.

It had been the lofty room above their normal living space and Mako had insisted the downstairs open area was meant for living. Bolin didn't care as long as he had a bed and somewhere that was only his.

Mako's bed caught his eye and he noticed that it was empty. Like usual. Mako always got up and tried his best to make some kind of breakfast. Usually some kind of slop, but Bolin loved the thought Mako put into it.

Bolin had a flashback of the times when him and Mako were parent-less and Mako would try his best to make everyday just like they used to be. He tried, but they weren't the same. They never would be. But Bolin wouldn't dwell on the things he couldn't change. That's how Bolin did things. He couldn't change things, and they made him who he is. If someone really loved him, they wouldn't care if he didn't have both parents.

He slid off of his bed and didn't care enough to make it. He quickly pulled on his earthbender styled clothes and made his way downstairs to find Mako.

Mako was sitting on one of the couches they had that he had bought with the money he made down at the power plant. Mako had his head layed back on the back of the couch and had an untouched cup of tea sitting on the small table next to him. One of his arms were slung behind his head and he had his eyes closed. Bolin noticed his furrowed brow and the way his lips collected at the corner of his mouth.

He was in deep thought. Bolin didn't want to disturb him, but he wanted to tell Mako where he was going so he wouldn't be worried. Another thing about loosing loved ones, is the double worrying curtain situations bring. "Hey Mako?" Bolin said from his place by the door.

"Yeah Bo?" Mako asked raising his head slightly to look his younger brother in the eyes, his worried expression vanished as soon as he heard Bolin's voice. "I was just wanting to let you know that I was going to go out for the day. Maybe find a ...job?" his voice trailed off as he finished his sentence.

Bolin had been worried for a while now about Mako and his ways of going about everything. They were broke. No matter how Mako tried to restate it, Bolin would always know. "tight", "economically deprived" and even "disadvantaged" were just some of the euphemisms that Mako had used to make "broke" sound better. But Bolin knew. He had grown tired of the days Mako would come home exhausted and lonely a long time ago, and now he was ready to help. Even if he just made some money for small things, he still thought anything was better then Mako hoisting everything on his own shoulders. If Bolin could share the earnings, he could share the working.

"Bo, I don't think that's a good idea." He said sitting up, almost taking a stand.

"Why not?" Bolin asked getting a little upset, but he knew that Mako was just afraid to take away Bolin's life like loosing their parents had taken away Mako's. Part of him really wondered if Mako meant that he would really be bad at it. He usually did shoot his ideas down as he proposed them. Why would this one be different.

"Because, Bolin, I- I just don't." he said placing his thumb and pointer fingers on the bridge of his nose, showing Bolin how truly annoyed he was. But Bolin didn't care.

"Every other sixteen year old has a job. Why should I be different?" he asked opening the door and storming out before Mako could answer.

"Ugh!" Mako said before slinging his head back against the couch. He wanted Bolin to go out and meet people, have a good life like they would have had with their parents. He didn't want Bolin to be missing out on the fun, trouble, and mostly, the girls.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Only Sweet Thing He Bights Is Jennamite**

* * *

"Good things happen when you meet strangers" - Yo-Yo Ma

* * *

Bolin walked down the flight of stairs outside of the pro-bending arena. Pabu had a nice spot on his shoulder as Bolin took last step off of the final step and started walking down the sidewalk. He hoped he could find someplace to work, but he really had no clue what he was doing.

He really just wanted to get out of the apartment for now. He had hoped to keep the job a secret from Mako, but quickly ruled that out when he thought about how he would give Mako his earnings and how he would be away from home much more now.

"Where do you think we should start?" he asked his best friend, Pabu, the fire-ferret. He smiled and continued on with determination. He would find a job. He would.

* * *

Two hours later and Bolin had pretty much given up. Everywhere he went, there were no jobs, and if there were, he wasn't old enough, or what they were looking for. "Maybe Mako was right." he said to Pabu, who looked back blankly with his small eyes, and took a seat at a table in his favorite place. Narook's Seaweed Noodlery. "Maybe looking for a job isn't that great of an idea as I thought." he told himself. Mako had told him that it was helpless. Bolin knew that Mako was only looking out for him, but he was really good at making Bolin feel useless.

_Don't worry Bolin, you'll get it. You'll find somewhere. Someone has the perfect thing for you out there. You just have to be patient and yourself and it will come. _Bolin thought. He tried to always keep a positive attitude. It got you farther in life. His father had told him that before he had passed. It was one of the many wise things he remembered his father saying.

"That was so cool!" a little girl about five said as she walked in with her mother and father. Bolin smiled at the family as he watched them from his seat. He always loved to see families. They reminded him of his when he was younger. He took them for granted. He used to. "Everyone has a family" he used to think. But it wasn't until his was taken from him that he really understood how precious a few people really could be.

"Wasn't it princess?" the father said picking up the little girl and placing her on his shoulders. Bolin watched as the family walked over and took a seat at the table next to his. They were in range and he could hear most of their conversation.

"Well I think that was one of the best performances I have seen." the mother said and the father nodded his head in agreement. He took the little girl from his shoulders and placed her in the chair next to him. She smiled at her parents. "I loved the pretty lady that flew!" the little girl said as she shared her favorite segment of the performance.

Bolin grew confused. He had only known that airbenders to fly because of their ability to control the currents. But he thought the only airbenders lived on Air Temple Island.

"Excuse me?" Bolin asked leaning closer to the family. "But I couldn't help but hear your daughter say that she saw a woman fly?" The woman smiled and laughed. "Yes dear. We have just come from the Nagasaki Brothers Circus. It is town for the month." Bolin couldn't help the smile come to his lips. He had heard about the circus a couple of years ago, but he never got to go.

"Wow." he said and the little girl looked to Bolin with a wide grin. "I know!" the little girl said with a squeaky voice that made Bolin laugh. Her parents laughed along and the little girl looked around wondering why they were laughing, but their laughter soon caused her to laugh.

"Thank you." Bolin said to the couple. "I will definitely have to make it to one of their shows."

"Well, they are having another in about twenty minutes." the woman said. "Well, then I better get going." Bolin said and got up from his table with Pabu, who had been looking for scraps on the floor.

When the little girl saw Pabu, she went into hysterics and started smiling. "Mommy, look!" she yelled and she started climbing out of her chair.

Bolin saw her excitement and smiled down at the child that was now standing in front of him looking up with wide eyes. "Jia! Get back in your seat!" the girls father yelled but Bolin waved him off "It's no problem." he said and squat down in front of Jia. He put his arm out and Pabu descended the muscular arm. Jia giggled in excitement and Bolin laughed. He held Pabu out, holding him under the arms, to Jia.

She reached her hand out and was hesitant to touch the new creature. "Go ahead." Bolin said "The only sweet thing he bights is Jennamite."

The little girl stroked Pabu on the head and Bolin even handed Pabu to her. Pabu, being the great pet he was, didn't mind the random holding of the girl. He actually seemed to enjoy it. Bolin just watched as Jia giggled and she was so cute and he had one of those moments when he wished he had his own family. But he still had a long time before that needed to take place. He just wanted a family to call his own again.

"Okay Jia, give the young man his ferret back. He has somewhere to be." Jia's mother said and Jia handed Pabu back to Bolin. Pabu took his normal spot and Bolin got back up. "Thank you." Jia's father said to Bolin.

"Anytime." Bolin responded. "You have a wonderful daughter." he said as he made his way past the couple's table. "Thanks again!" he yelled as he reached the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Under The Big Top**

* * *

Quote: "Amazement awaits us at every corner" - James Broughton

* * *

Bolin felt the grin come to his face when he spotted the large tent in the middle of the park. It had a few smaller tents adjacent to it, obviously the temporary living quarters for the circus members. The largest tent was a mixture of the four elements. You could pick out the parts that stood for Water, Earth, Air, and Fire. Bolin found his eyes wandering to the Earth part of the design. It was naturally towards the bottom of the tent, where it connected to the ground.

Bolin frowned slightly when he heard the roar from inside that signaled that the show had already started. He quickened his pace and he finally reached the entrance of the tent.

Once inside, Bolin felt small. He was used to large crowds, but he was always in the middle of them. He was usually the start of the show. But he liked this.

He looked around the makeshift stands for a spot to sit. He spotted an available seat for a couple of people a few rows up to his left and decided it was the best he could do under the crowded big top.

As Bolin did his best to make it to the seat without blocking people's view of the show going on, he managed to get yelled at and even hit by an old woman's purse. "Ow!" Bolin yelled at the woman while gripping the shoulder that she had just slugged him on. "Sit down!" the old woman yelled back and Bolin just moved on.

Bolin eventually made it to the seat and after sitting, he was finally able to take a good look around him and when he did, he was impressed.

The Ring Master was standing in the middle motioning the twenty Dragon Moose around the ring. They were amazing and Bolin found himself in awe. Then before he knew it, the Dragon Moose exited the tent and the Ring Master stood alone in the middle, soaking up the applause of the audience. Bolin clapped along with the people around him.

The show went on for a while and Bolin was really enjoying himself. Pabu was even interested when the animals would come out. But Bolin still hadn't seen what he had come for. And then, as if on cue, the crowd got really quiet as the lights turned down low and slow, beautiful music started playing. "It's the flying lady!" the little boy, seated next to Bolin, called out. Bolin started searching all of the known entryways he had seen the other acts enter and exit through, desperately trying to get a look at the woman everyone seemed to be talking about.

He still hadn't seen her yet, but everyone else seemed to know where she was. He could tell by their silence. "Where is she?" Bolin asked the boy.

"She's there!"he said pointing his small index finger toward the ceiling.

Bolin looked quickly and when he saw her, he was in awe.

She was beautiful. She had long flowing brown hair and she was in a nude colored, mesh leotard. The only thing Bolin could see about her face, was her large eyes and her perfect red colored lips. She was descending from the open space above the stands, using a couple of long silk-like ropes. Bolin had never seen anything like it before in his life. He though Pro-Bending was amazing, but it was nothing compared to this.

The young woman wrapped the silk around her wrists and span around gracefully. Then, she was suspended upside down by her legs with the silk wound tightly around them.

Bolin watched the spectacle before him and found himself of the edge of his seat when the woman wrapped one silk around her waist and the silk started swaying back and forth until the woman was "flying" around the stands. Bolin smiled and he watched her fly above him. She made it look effortless and she looked amazing.

Bolin understood why she was the talk of the city.

The woman arched her back once she came to a stop and the silk coiled around her as she was lowered to the ground, where she landed with precision and the crowd went mad. Bolin found his feet and clapped like a mad-man. He watched the girl as she pranced to one of the many exits.

Bolin knew right then, that he would have to meet her.


End file.
